Conditions:James Canyon-20200701020221

Latest:	30 Jun 2020 (4 yrs, 11 mos ago)

Reported by:	Coalemus (160 reports)
Quality:	Good
Waterflow:	Deep pools
Wetsuit:	None
Water temperature:
Difficulty:	Easy
Time:	5 hours

Team: 2 people with experience level Beginner to Intermediate

Trip report URL:

Comments: The time is exiting halfway down the canyon on the big drainage RDC just after the 40' rap (member of party had footwear difficulties). Pools were pretty full, we did a couple swims. The ungulate (deer, I think), was right where you would have to climb out of the first pool and looked pretty foul, so we simply skipped that rap LDC, which wasn't too hard. You could also climb down a large log that straddles the pool and would drop you just past it on the little rim between the 2 pools. Was hot enough that wetsuits would have been overkill but I don't know how much swimming we skipped by exiting halfway. Webbing at 2nd rap looked good.

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
13 Oct 2024	Great	Deep pools	Rain jacket	Easy	5 hours	2 people Intermediate to Expert	MountainMongo (12 reports)
Comment: Looped with a car parked midway on FR631. Found a great drop in via an elk trail just before the first pool. Excited via sneak route just before the confluence with pump house on canyon right. Replaced webbing on the 2nd drop down climb and the 3rd drop which used to have a deadfall tree with webbing to assist down climbing. It is now a short rappel with the tree gone. Fall colors were off the hook and. No dead animals to contend with. Water levels were quite low compared to normal.
22 Jul 2022	Good	Deep pools	None	Normal	3 hours	2 people	Nclegg (414 reports)
Comment: A couple swims and few deep wades. Water was shockingly cold in the long hallway swim, but we warmed up quick afterwards. This same pool had a deceased, maggot infested skunk floating in it. We planted a shuttle at the end of a forest road above the James / Pumphouse confluence. The canyon took 3h 15min car-to-car but a large and / or slow moving group could take much longer, so plan accordingly. Lots of non-existent forest roads shown on gaia in this area. KML track has been added to the page. Paired this canyon with Wilson Seep which made for a fuller day.
23 Jul 2020	Good	Deep pools	None	Easy	3 hours	1 people Intermediate	Coalemus (160 reports)
Comment: Deer is a foul rotting mush with ribs sticking out. Even if you rap, the water is low enough that the carcass is in its own pothole, which is avoidable. Was pretty easy to just climb down the big log here. 2 swims, a couple deep wades and some shallow wades. Water was cold but I didn't get chilled even though it was windy and overcast (monsoons). Some scum and algae in the water but they didn't smell too foul. Webbing was fine. You could do the rap as a ~20' by getting off on a big flat ledge and just stemming down from there, if you wanted to bring minimal rope.
30 Jun 2020	Good	Deep pools	None	Easy	5 hours	2 people Beginner to Intermediate	Coalemus (160 reports)
Comment: The time is exiting halfway down the canyon on the big drainage RDC just after the 40' rap (member of party had footwear difficulties). Pools were pretty full, we did a couple swims. The ungulate (deer, I think), was right where you would have to climb out of the first pool and looked pretty foul, so we simply skipped that rap LDC, which wasn't too hard. You could also climb down a large log that straddles the pool and would drop you just past it on the little rim between the 2 pools. Was hot enough that wetsuits would have been overkill but I don't know how much swimming we skipped by exiting halfway. Webbing at 2nd rap looked good.
27 Jun 2020	Great	Deep pools	Thin wetsuit				The ninja ginja (1 reports)
Comment: Watch out for dead deer in swimming hole after the first rappel. It is whole at the time but it may fall apart soon. Possibly wait until after monsoon season to wash it out.
27 Jun 2020	Great	Deep pools	Thin wetsuit	Normal	4 hours	3 people Intermediate to Advanced	Commonrider (1 reports)
Comment: Great run thru James Canyon. Most sections had pooled water, definitely cold, but a wetsuit wouldn't have been required. The pool below the first rappel has a dead and decomposing elk in it that is unavoidable. Smells pretty awful. Second rappel has two anchors, one in the watercourse off a live tree DCR. Second anchor is LDC that allows you to avoid the pool below.
28 Sep 2015 Trip report							HikeArizona.com (271 reports)
Comment: Most recent conditions reported at HikeArizona.com, see Trip Report for full details.
26 Jun 2011 Trip report	Amazing						CanditionBot (2103 reports)
Comment: See the full condition report at Candition.com. Submitted by nonot.
26 Jun 2011 Trip report							Candition.com (287 reports)
Comment: Most recent conditions reported at Candition.com, see Trip Report for full details.